02/14/02 Killing Because of 300 m Law

An announcement of a protest regarding the Animal Friends' appeal to change the law which says all dogs and cats who are more than 300 meters away from populated areas are considered to be strays, therefore hunters can shoot them

Killings of dogs and cats because of 300 m?

After sending of an appeal to the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry and starting on-line petition, we've decided to hold a protest action in front of the building of the Ministry because our requests haven't been answered yet. In only a week, we collected over 500 signatures and we have a great support of many people from Croatia and all over the world, which clearly shows that this absurd law should be changed as soon as possible.

The action will take place on Thursday, February 14, at 2:00 P.M. in Vukovarska ulica in front of the building of the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry.

This action announces starting of street-petitions and if necessary further actions as long as this law doesn't change. Last few years there were numerous cases of animal abuse that shocked the public, and it is about time to stop this mocking to the law.

Last few weeks we could see lynches of dogs and cats in many daily newspapers. Somebody, with apparently sick mind, tortures puppies, dogs and cats and then literally hangs them on trees.

We have reasons to doubt hunters, because hunting alliances are those who claim that all dogs and cats who are 300 m away from populated areas are strays, and they can, according to the law, shoot them. Confession of hunting alliances that they usually practise such activities like killings of dogs and cats, doesn't shock us. To a person that kills wild animals for fun, killing of a dog or a cat doesn't make much of a difference. From ethical point of view, killing is the same.

The public isn't shocked only with shooting of strayed domestic animals, but also by the great cruelty to them. According to the law, killed animals should be buried right away, but in this case somebody tortures them, and sometimes even hangs on trees!

We wonder, what kind of hatred and ferocity must be in the minds of people who kill animals just because they are 300 m away from the place where they live, and then are those poor cats or dogs hanged on trees by the road so the passengers could see their tortured bodies.

If somebody parks a car on somebody else's private property, the owner of a property can't destroy that car because it would be against the law. But when it comes to hunting, a dog who accidentally enters hunting area, or is 300 m away from home place, can be killed on purpose.

Are we, the people who have to watch all this, really helpless?! How many animals will be tortured and killed before we ban this?

Last few years there were several dozens of cases of killing of cats, dogs, and even donkeys; many of them were in fenced areas inside of villages and towns. Some cases got a great attention of media, but solutions were never found.

So, as an animal rights and welfare organization, we ask the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry to change that law immediately. We are convinced that hunters' license, which allows the killing of dogs, cats and other animals, must be abolished.

Those animals are not dangerous neither to wildlife nor to hunters, because in most cases they are just puppies, other pets, or tame domestic animals. Those are not herds of mad dogs, but puppies who walk on the meadows around the place they live.

We believe that this law is totally absurd and ridiculous, and we demand its change. We ask the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry to consider our requests, and to keep in mind reactions of the public to all cases of animal killings by hunters in last few years when the public firmly condemned hunters' ferocity.

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Animal Friends is a non-profit, non-governmental organization, founded in 2001 with the aim to promote animal protection and animal rights as well as veganism, as ethical, ecological and healthy lifestyle.
Animal Friends Croatia is a member organization of EVU,
Eurogroup for Animals, ECEAE, FFA, IAFC and OIPA.